Question

6.10cm3 of a gaseous hydrocarbon, C2HX required 30cm3 of oxygen for complete
combustion. If steam and 20cm3 of carbon (IV) oxide were produced, what is the value of
X?

Answer 1

First, we need to balance the chemical equation for the combustion of the hydrocarbon C2HX:

C2HX + (x+y/4)O2 -> aCO2 + bH2O

From the given information, we know the following:

1. 6.10cm3 of C2HX requires 30cm3 of oxygen. This means that the stoichiometric coefficients for C2HX and O2 are in a 1:4 ratio.

2. 20cm3 of carbon (IV) oxide and steam were produced. Therefore, the products of the reaction are CO2 and H2O.

Now, let's rewrite the balanced chemical equation:

C2HX + 4xO2 -> aCO2 + bH2O

We can conclude from the information provided that a = 20 and b = 10 (for a total of 30), since for each molecule of CO2 produced, one molecule of H2O is also produced.

Therefore, the balanced equation will look like this:

C2HX + 4O2 -> 20CO2 + 10H2O

From the balanced equation, we can see that y = 20 (the coefficient of oxygen in the equation). Therefore, the value of X is 10.

So, the hydrocarbon in this case is C2H10.